QUALITY trade and heavy new season lamb prices lifted again late last week after weather conditions limited New South Wales yardings earlier in the week.

New season trade lambs in NSW saleyards sold consistently from 585-660c/kg on Friday, making less in Victoria, for a limited offering at Shepparton.

Heavy young lamb rates also firmed further to around 560-670c/kg in NSW and over 600c/kg in Victoria.

At Cowra on Friday, the 12.1-18kg new season lambs with $6-$8 skins made $91-$122, or 553-653c/kg, and the 18.1-22kg trade weights with $8-$11 skins sold from $124-$151, or 585-658c/kg. The 22.1-26kg lambs with $10-$12 skins made $148-$169, or 567-626c/kg, and the 26.1-30kg lines with $12 skins sold from $165-$170, or 567-585c/kg.

At Griffith, the light young lambs with $9-$10 skins sold from $104-$123, or 633-665c/kg, and the 18.1-22kg trade weight with $1-$12 skins made $127-$158, or 585-668c/kg. The 22.1-26kg lambs with $1-$12 skins sold from $146-$178, or 604-678c/kg.

At Shepparton, 12.1-18kg new season lambs with 0-$2 skins made $58-$108, or 428-663c/kg. The 18.1-22kg trade weights with 0-$10 skins sold from $99-$137, or 495-605c/kg, and the 22.1-24kg lines with $10 skins made $148-$152.50, or 600-625c/kg.

NLRS indicators post weekly rises

The National Livestock Reporting Services Eastern States Daily Indicators all increased last week, with only the light lamb indice falling on Friday.

The lamb ESDIs, their daily and weekly changes are: restock 579c/kg, up 6 cents, up 29c; Merino 523c/kg, no change, up 5c; light 543c/kg, down 2c, up 4c; trade 599c/kg, up 5c, up 21c; heavy 602c/kg, up6c, up 19c. The national trade lamb indicator closed up 5 cents on 599c/kg and the heavy indice lifted 6 cents to 602c/kg.

The ESDI for mutton closed at 383c/kg on Friday, up 3 cents for the day and lifting 15 cents for the week. The national mutton indicator finished up 3 cents to 378c/kg.

AuctionsPlus listings lift

AuctionsPlus sheep and lambs numbers lifted by almost 2000 to 38,870 last week and a clearance rate of 81 percent was achieved.

Merino ewe numbers lifted by 2500 to 12,477. This included more than 4200 maiden ewes which made $78-$164.50 and averaged $109. The top price was for 14-15 month-old 63.9kg lwt late July shorn Kelvale blood ewes at Keith.

Proven Merino breeders averaged $125 last week, with 4-5 year-old 67.1kg lwt September shorn Shalimar Park and Airlie blood ewes at Baradine making the top price of $138. They had been joined to Merino rams for six weeks from 29-4-15.

Scanned aged ewes averaged $120 on AuctionsPlus last week and unjoined aged ewes averaged $61. Mixed aged Dohne ewes made from $81 to a top price of $82.50 for unjoined 2-5 year-old ewes from Longreach, Queensland, going to a buyer in Wodonga, Victoria.

Maiden first cross ewe prices were steady last week, averaging $173. Unjoined late July shorn 13-14 month-old first cross ewes, 51.7kg lwt, at Padthaway, South Australia, sold for the top price of $183. Older unjoined ewes made $132-$160 to average $141. A line of 131 4-5 year old Border Leicester and Composite ewes at Canowindra, NSW, with 182 1-6 week-old Poll Dorset lambs made $200.

An offering of more than 5700 unshorn 5-6 month-old Collandra North blood Merino wether lambs from Burtundy Station at Ivanhoe averaged $75 last week, with the top 16.7kg cwt line  making $99. AuctionsPlus said these lots attracted plenty of bidding activity, with an average of eight unique bidders on each lot. Other Merino wether lambs made $46-$86 and older 2-4 year old Myuna blood wethers, 24kg cwt, were sold to a processor for 508c/kg dressed or $121.

Restocker lamb prices remained stable for the 6052 offered. The 25-27kg lambs averaged $93 and the 29-30kg lambs made $83-$95.50. Heavier 32-35kg lambs sold from $95-$96.50. The heaviest lambs offered were 16.9kg cwt March-April drop White Suffolk cross lambs at Traynors Lagoon, Victoria, which sol for $107.

Cowra’s trade and heavy lambs lift $5-$7

In New South Wales at the Cowra saleyards on Friday, the agents yarded 7500 lambs, 345 more than last week, and 500 sheep, 540 fewer.

The NLRS said the quality of the heavy lambs was good, while the light and trade grades tended to lack finish. The 5000 new season lambs were mainly trade and heavy weights. Old lambs increased in supply and the store lamb offering was limited. All the buyers operated and competition was strong, resulting in a dearer market.

Light new season lambs were $6 dearer. Store lambs averaged $98.60. Medium and heavy trade weight young lambs were $5-$7 dearer and ranged from 615-630c/kg cwt. Heavy weight new season lambs were firm to $4 dearer and sold from 574-610c/kg cwt. A few pens of extra heavy weight new season lambs sold from $165-$170.

Trade old lambs were $3 dearer, averaging 544c/kg or $123. Most of the better heavy trade weight lambs sold from $144-$151. Heavy old lambs also sold to a stronger trend to up to $180 and ranged from 545-597c/kg.

Mutton numbers were too limited to quote and quality was mixed. Heavy first cross ewes ranged from $110-$114 or 350-380c/kg cwt.

Griffith new season lamb price rise $5-$8

At the Griffith saleyards on Friday, the agents yarded 5450 lambs, 6850 fewer than last week, and 1300 sheep, 1700 less.

The NLRS said lamb quality was mixed, with a good offering of finished lambs along with the plainer drier types. An extra buyer competed in a dearer market.

There were 3350 new season lambs and prices lifted $5-$8. Light lambs averaged $123. Trade weights sold from $127-$158. Heavy lambs ranged from $152-$178. Carcase prices ranged from 628-655c/kg cwt.

Old lambs were also $5-$6 dearer. Light lambs averaged $115. Trade weights sold from $120-$149. Heavy lambs made from $152-$172 and extra heavy weights sold from $176-$208. Carcase prices ranged from 607-640c/kg cwt.

The sheep were mostly Merinos and quality was fair. Prices remained strong, with Merino ewes selling from $84-$132. Crossbred ewes made $100-$118.

Shepparton lamb prices firm

In Victoria at the Shepparton saleyards, the agents yarded 653 lambs, 247 fewer than last week, and 1307 sheep, 407 more.

The NLRS said the small and mixed winter yarding of lambs was mostly odd pen lots of old season lambs of varied breed type and condition. The supply of new season lambs was limited to 220 trade weight and lighter weight types. The usual buyers operated in a market that was similar to a week ago, with the limited numbers and plain quality making accurate price trends difficult.

The market reached a top of $175 for a small pen of heavy export weight old lambs. The best of the new season lambs sold from $148 to a top of $152.50 for heavy trades estimated at around 23kg cwt, with buyers working on slightly lower skin returns of $10-$11. The next run of young crossbred trade lambs, 20-22kg, made $132-$137. On a carcase basis the better finished slaughter lambs ranged from an estimated 600-620c/kg cwt.

The offering of old season lambs was very mixed, with a few pens of heavier trade and export types that made $140-$175. Most of the yarding comprised lambs under 22kg, which sold from $60-$120 depending on weight and quality, with some of the light weight slaughter lambs averaging dearer than a week ago.

The sheep sale featured a run of five year-old Merino ewes, recently shorn, which were offered in lines to suit restockers, but sold for processing at $100-$110 to make more than 400c/kg cwt. Heavy crossbred ewes sold from $100-$120, and trade and light weight mutton made $55-$88.

Sources: MLA, NLRS, AuctionsPlus.